Resume

OBJECTIVE

Seeking a part-time or contract position with a small company or startup in the Raleigh area that makes my jaw drop because they’re doing something that I just have to be a part of. I’m always open to considering partnerships, consulting work, and other opportunities. If you think we would get along, contact me.

SKILLS SUMMARY

Project Management Event Planning Training & Consulting Writing & Communications Client/Customer Support

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Project Management

  • Managed a staff of five people, and coordinated the Survey of Graduate Students and Postdoctorates in Science and Engineering, an annual survey of academic institutions, in order to assess shifts in graduate enrollment and postdoctoral appointments and trends in financial support
  • Led weekly meetings in order to deliver project updates and field questions from staff members
    • Achieved 99% response rate on voluntary survey
  • Assisted with the Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study, which is designed to collect data on student persistence in and completion of postsecondary education programs, their transition to employment, their income, and their debt, among other things
    • Improved survey response rate 3% through innovative social networking
  • Analyzed survey metadata and wrote technical reports on findings

Event Planning

  • Scouted possible venues, building relationships with local business owners in order to ensure future cooperation and/or collaboration
  • Reached out to local businesses in order to secure sponsorship for necessary items such as food, beverages, chairs, speakers, projectors, screens, microphones, and even the event space itself
  • Recruited thought leaders to speak at events
  • Coordinated event volunteers
  • Wrote and edited press releases for events and submitted them to media outlets
  • Utilized social media in order to promote event
    • This culminated in an event attendance of 125 out of 180 registered at two separate events
  • Live tweeted presentations and other event happenings, and later wrote up recaps of event
  • Monitored social media conversation about event in order to improve future experience

Training and Consulting

  • Trained staff one-on-one and in large groups of 30 at a time on how to conduct standardized Computer Assisted Telephone Interviews (CATI) and how to use web-based and CATI software
    • Have trained over 150+ call center staff, with a 100% certification rate.
  • Conducted intense, 5-day training sessions with 100+ staff members that focused on how to conduct field studies independently in high schools across the U.S.
    • Achieved a 100% certification rate.
  • Wrote data collection materials and training manuals
  • Taught students how to use language-learning software, record audio and video with webcams, and burn CDs
  • Led a seminar at the ProductCamp RTP conference on how to use the PechaKucha presentation style as a communication tool in the workplace
    • Seminar was voted the second best presentation of the conference

Writing and Communications

  • Created copy for both websites and blogs, applying best SEO practices for maximum impact
  • Pitch story ideas, conduct interviews and research, and write and edit material for online media outlets including Triangle.com & Science In The Triangle
  • Promoted articles via social media during “Theme Weeks” to draw additional traffic to website
    • This extra promotional push was conducted once every 2-3 months to help drive more traffic to the site

Client/Customer Support

  • Gained cooperation of the presidents and chancellors of 500+ major U.S. institutions to participate in a graduate student enrollment survey
  • Provided technical support to survey respondents, resulting in 100% positive feedback
  • Conducted qualitative, in-depth telephone interview studies with survey respondents about the survey process to improve data accuracy, survey quality, and user experience
  • Conducted public outreach at professional conferences on behalf of employer

WORK HISTORY

Freelance Writer – Raleigh, NC  … July 210 – Present

Pitch story ideas, conduct interviews and research, and write and edit material for online media outlets including Triangle.com & Science In The Triangle

RTI International – Durham, NC Education Analyst … July 2008 – Present

Supported large-scale, national postsecondary studies in company’s Education Studies Division

LISC – Washington, DC Public Relations Intern … Feb 2008 – May 2008

Local Initiatives Support Corporation is a national nonprofit aiming to build sustainable communities.

Urban Mapping – San Francisco, CA Freelance (Geo)data Researcher … Jan 2008 – June 2008

A geographic data & services company that collects map data & distributes it through a hosted geoservices platform

Language Media Center – Pittsburgh, PA Media Consultant … Sept 2004 – April 2005

Promoted from Assistant to Consultant after 2 months by supporting the use of technology to enhance language learning

OTHER CURRENT ACTIVITIES

Contributing Writer at The Next Great Generation — January 2010 – Present

  • Website about Gen Y targeted toward marketers, brands, politicians, journalists & more

Event Co-Organizer for Global PechaKucha Nights Raleigh – January 2010 – Present

  • A quarterly idea-sharing event made up of 10-12 quick presentations by local thought leaders

Communications Lead at ideaSPARK (of SPARKcon) – March 2010 – Present

  • A Triangle, NC 4-day creativity festival showcasing local cultural richness through an open-source approach to collaboration and cross pollination

Freelance Photography – 2003 – Present

COMPUTER SKILLS

  • Microsoft Office (Word, Excel & Powerpoint), Google Apps, PC/Mac OS, Photoshop, SPSS, WordPress

EDUCATION

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Bachelor of Arts, December 2007

Major: Psychology / Minor: Geography

Overall GPA: 3.9